ComEd was pressured to hire politically connected law firm as it fought for key Illinois bill: testimony

SPRINGFIELD, Sick. – ComEd’s monetary future may need been on the road with a hard-fought invoice pending earlier than the Illinois legislature late in 2011, however the utility’s prime lawyer on the time all of a sudden discovered himself below stress to cope with one other precedence, he testified Tuesday.

Signing the legislation agency of political operative Victor Reyes to an uncommon three-year contract with ComEd, which assured Reyes’ agency 850 hours of authorized work a 12 months.

Thomas O’Neill, ComEd’s former common counsel, defined to jurors the stress he felt in 2011, and once more in 2016, to signal and renew the contract for the Reyes Kurson legislation agency. He stated it largely got here from lobbyist Michael McClain, who usually gave the impression to be doing the bidding of then-Illinois Home Speaker Michael J. Madigan, a Reyes ally.

O’Neill stated he was in the end instructed to “simply get it accomplished” by Anne Pramaggiore, who rose to develop into ComEd’s CEO with a legislative technique that amounted to “what’s vital to the speaker is vital to ComEd.”

O’Neill defined this all through the trial of McClain, Pramaggiore and two different former political energy gamers on trial for an alleged conspiracy to bribe Madigan.

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He stated he first signed the cope with Reyes Kurson on Oct. 25, 2011 — however wasn’t conscious on the time that Reyes additionally performed a task in fundraising for Madigan. The deal was signed sooner or later earlier than the Illinois Normal Meeting handed a invoice that turned across the fortunes of ComEd.

“I simply felt there was numerous persistent stress to get it accomplished,” O’Neill stated. “I had stated I used to be going to do it. And so we went ahead. I went ahead.”

On trial together with McClain and Pramaggiore are former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime Metropolis Membership President Jay Doherty. O’Neill turned the trial’s first witness to drill down into the center of the allegations in opposition to the 4, who’re accused of arranging for jobs, contracts and cash for Madigan allies whereas key laws moved by Springfield.

Among the many schemes alleged within the indictment was the trouble to have ComEd rent and renew the weird contract for Reyes Kurson.

McClain lawyer Patrick Cotter promised jurors final week they’d “hear no phrases” linking job suggestions from Madigan with any piece of laws. The express connection has but to be made, however prosecutors have appeared to work methodically to hyperlink the hiring stress described by O’Neill to key payments.

The trial’s first few days featured testimony that painted McClain as a Madigan emissary, identified to cross alongside the speaker’s calls for. Now, jurors have heard how McClain bypassed O’Neill to maintain ComEd from limiting the hours promised to Reyes Kurson.

And it occurred whereas ComEd was within the midst of invoice negotiations in Springfield.

“Mike went over my head to Anne [Pramaggiore] instantly,” O’Neill instructed jurors.

O’Neill stated the stress marketing campaign started as he was deep within the combat to cross the Vitality Infrastructure and Modernization Act, or EIMA, in 2011. The invoice had handed each chambers however had been vetoed by then-Gov. Pat Quinn.

One other ComEd govt has stated EIMA and 2016’s Future Vitality Jobs Act, or FEJA, took ComEd from the brink of chapter to file earnings in 2022.

O’Neill stated he started to listen to from McClain and Hooker in 2011 about hiring Reyes Kurson. O’Neill stated he’d met with Reyes in June of that 12 months. However McClain started to pester him about it, and Hooker instructed him “it’s worthwhile to transfer” on the deal and “it’s vital we get this accomplished.”

O’Neill stated he “needed to push it off after I had extra time” as a result of he was combating to get EIMA handed. He stated he acquiesced and employed the agency partially due to the stress, but additionally as a result of it was minority-owned and specialised in areas of curiosity to ComEd.

He stated Reyes Kurson didn’t work its 850 hours in 2012, however as time handed it exceeded the assure in its contract. O’Neill stated he made certain by his workers “that the work they have been doing was of worth to the corporate.”

The contract was up for renewal once more in 2016 — the 12 months ComEd returned to the legislature to cross FEJA. However O’Neill stated he’d heard from a ComEd lawyer that “850 hours is means, means too many. We simply would not have that a lot work for them.”

So O’Neill started pushing to scale back the hours for Reyes Kurson. That finally prompted McClain, a ComEd lobbyist, to ship an e-mail on to Pramaggiore, ComEd’s CEO. In it, McClain used his typical code for Madigan: “our Good friend.”

“Properly, I hate to convey this to your consideration however I have to,” McClain wrote. “Sorry. I’m certain you know the way invaluable Victor is to our Good friend.”

McClain added, “I do know the drill and so do you. If you don’t get contain [sic] and resolve this concern of 850 hours for his legislation agency per 12 months then he’ll go to our Good friend. Our Good friend will name me after which I’ll name you. Is that this a drill we should undergo?”

Pramaggiore wound up forwarding McClain’s e-mail to O’Neill with out remark. O’Neill stated he additionally wound up forwarding a separate e-mail to Pramaggiore, with out remark, that mentioned ComEd’s consulting contract with Roosevelt Group, Reyes’ separate lobbying agency.

“As a result of I felt he was double-dipping,” O’Neill stated.

O’Neill despatched his e-mail to Pramaggiore one minute after she despatched hers.

Protection attorneys are anticipated to cross-examine O’Neill on Wednesday.

Additionally Tuesday, state Rep. Robert “Bob” Rita returned to the stand after telling jurors that Madigan dominated the Illinois Home “by concern and intimidation.” Protection attorneys had their probability to press the Blue Island Democrat additional on that evaluation.

“While you say concern, you’re not speaking about bodily hurt?” Cotter requested. “You’re not saying that Mike Madigan was working round, waving a gun at you?”

Rita stated no.

“While you say concern, you’re saying folks feared the political penalties of their vote?” Cotter requested.

Rita responded, “Yeah. That and assignments on the state facet.”